When I first saw the new MOLLE light from Pentagon Light, it looked like they had taken the old G.I. D-cell angle flashlight, and put it through a shrinking machine. It’s only 3.5″ tall, weighs 1.5 oz and fits in the palm of your hand. It has a single 0.5 W white LED which puts out 40 lumens. The body is metal, and contains the single AA battery which provides 3 hours of runtime. The angled head is permanently attached to the body (at least I think it is – I was unable to unscrew it). A red filter is kept at the bottom of the tailcap, and is uncrewed and installed over the lens. The tailcap also houses a small survival compass. Initially, I didn’t think the compass worked, as I couldn’t get it to settle down and point correctly. Then, I removed the tailcap from the body, and presto! it worked. I guess the metal body interferes with the compass. Obviously, the compass cannot be used in the dark if the light is your only illumination.

Rammite Australia is a manufacturer of Australian Merino wool garments and accessories. The military line and the items shown below are offered through MissionPac. For more information on their wool, read my review of their short and long sleeved components of their Merino Layering system here. Featured below are their headwear accessories. All of the Rammite headgear shown here of double-layer construction using their midweight 100% Australian Merino wool fabric.

Not a review, as these sights are not widely available (if at all), but shown here just for reference, and the fact that I could find no good photos of these sights anywhere on the internet. Even though these sights were designed for the HK MP7 A1 PDW, I found that they function just fine for the M4 as back-up sights. They’re similar in design and function to the Knights 300M rear BUIS and their front rail-mounted flip-up. A spring loaded plunger holds them in the up or down position – there’s no lock. The MP7 sights include pistol-type sights when folded down – there’s a front sight blade and rear, which can be used on the MP7 when no optics are mounted. On the M4, the pistol sights are too low to be used, but they’ll work on weapons with a higher top rail. The sights clamp to the rail and are tightened by a philips head screw.

Back at the ’06 SHOT Show in Vegas, when Stephen at ATS Tactical showed me the prototype of this pouch, I thought it was a really good idea. Since then, he’s refined the design and the final versions shown here are very well executed. There are two sizes offered, a Small and Large Blow-out pouch. What makes them different from a regular IFAK pouch is that they’re quick-releasable/detachable from their platforms. With a standard pouch, access to the contents can be severely limited, depending on where it’s located on the casualty. The pouch may be trapped under the casualty and his injuries might be exacerbated by rolling him over to gain access. Even when the pouch is accessible on the casualty, it’s still not as easy as having a detached pouch right in front of you to find the needed items. For some injuries, every second can count, and might be the difference between life and death. The ATS Tactical Blow-out pouches put the kit in your hands, ASAP.

This is the Ramite Merino Zip Polo, Mid Weight (item at the top of this page). It’s a long sleeved, mid-weight zip polo. The mid-weight material is heavier than that of the Short Sleeved T-shirt shown above, and made of the same 100% Australian Merino wool. As mentioned above, the Merino wool is softer than “traditional” wool products, but still has an inherent prickliness that may or may not be irritating, depending on how sensitive your skin is. For the majority of people who can wear and prefer wool products to synthetics, it shouldn’t be a problem. I’ve found that after wearing it for a while, my skin seems to ‘desensitize’ or get used to it, but it doesn’t ever feel silky smooth like the other synthetic fabrics.

The MM/SERT System (i-SHOT) C3 (Compact Carbine Case) has been more than a year in the making. The first prototype was shown at the i-SHOT booth at the 2006 SHOT show in Vegas and it will finally be ready to go into production in a few weeks (looking at June release). Back in 2005, Helmie from SERT Systems asked me if I’d be interested in licensing my breakdown M4 case concept/design. I saw it as an opportunity to improve on my original concept and came up with a new one for i-SHOT.

Back in 2003/2004, when I first got my Docter Optic mini red dot sight, I mounted it on my LMT MRP as the primary optic. At that time, it wasn’t very common to see the MRD (Mini Red Dot) sights used as primary optics on rifles, probably because they hadn’t been around for too long, and people didn’t trust their durability. The Docter and now discontinued Optima (now manufactured as the J-Point) were used mostly on competition pistols or as backups on rifles on scopes. Then, they found some popularity mounted on ACOGs as close-range optics. When I mounted the Docter on my MRP, I just wanted the smallest red dot sight I could stick on there, and the Docter has worked well for the past 3 years it’s been on there. However, there was always the chance it could get damaged as it was unprotected. I was also using the Docter weaver mount on top of an ARMS #17, to get it to the right height. As the mini-dots have grown more popular and common due to their light weight and small size, so have the choices of mounting options. LaRue Tactical has stepped up to the plate and is offering mounts and MRD (Mini Red Dot) packages with their excellent locking lever system, called the LaRue Irondot.

The newest headlamp from Petzl is their first emergency headlamp and by far one of the coolest designs available, the e+LITE. Weighing less than one ounce, the e+LITE is compact and light enough to carry anywhere on your person. It comes in a small, pill-shaped plastic case about 3.25″ long and 1.6″ wide – smaller than most cell phones. The cap of the case is secured by a rubber O-ring that goes around the entire case. A molded belt loop will accomodate 1.5″ belts. The first thing I noticed was how small and light the e+LITE is. It’s dwarfed when compared side-by-side to the already compact TacTikka XP. A narrow but comfortable elastic band is attached to the base, and is adjusted by the red cord lock in the back. The lamp can be worn on the head, neck or wrist. The rectangular button on the cord lock is used to unscrew the battery cover (a coin can be used as well). The e+LITE is powered by two coin CR2032 lithium batteries, the same type that power mini red dot sights like the docter, and also illuminated scope reticles like the Nightforce, so they’re relatively common. Petzl claims that the light can be stored 10 years with the batteries and still be operational.

Poor personal hygiene in the field, whether it be backpacker or soldier, can lead to illness or even disease. Purell now packages its instant hand sanitizer in a refillable, foliage green bottle that’s perfect for BDU pockets. It’s even got grips molded into the sides of the squeeze bottle for easy one-handed dispensing. Used without water, it kills 99.99% of germs that might cause illness, in as little as 15 seconds. The ‘emergency’ use for it, which is why I put it in this category is that it can also be used as an expedient fire starter/fuel. The ethanol in the gel will ignite with a small blue flame that can help start a fire on wood that might not burn otherwise. I tested it in a piece of wood bark and ignited it with a match. It burned with a blue flame until the ethanol had been used up – long enough to add a few more pieces or kindling. Available from County Comm.

Skydex has changed the Velcro Veltex material used on the pads to a Guilford Mills fabric, and the feel is improved such that the prickliness I felt before is non-existant now. The new material looks denser and I can’t get the reticulated foam ends to ‘prick’, even when pressing down hard on the pad. The base of the pad has been changed to a foliage green instead of OD. Other than that, all else remains the same, as far as I know. The only issue I had with the original Skydex pads has been resolved, I’m glad to say. Kudos to Skydex for listening to feedback and improving their product.